Typical composite lay-up can take many forms. These include hand placement, automated ply placement, automated tow placement, resin infusion (RTM, VRTM, SQURTM, etc). The process typically involves individual plies on distinct layers applied in exacting orientations. Once applied, the entire laminate is the covered in a vacuum bag and then cured in an oven or autoclave.
Composite materials pre-impregnated with resin (pre-preg materials) are typically processed through cure cycles that take longer than 60 minutes at a given cure temperature, such as a minimum of 120 minutes at a cure temperature. The cure cycle is the time required to allow the composite material to completely harden into its final form. Previous methods of curing composite laminates use pressure and a rate of heating to a curing temperature of about 1-8 degrees F./per minute because faster heating rate will cause inconsistent heating, thereby impairing the properties of the component. Further, individual components are typically fully cured first and then bonded together, a process which is time consuming and costly.